...Michael Willar Essay #1 Alexander Balogh World Lit II The underlying metaphor in Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” The story, which I have chosen, is “Metamorphosis” written by Franz Kafka. Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” can be read as a depiction of humanity’s condition in the modern. The text can be depicted as humanities condition in the modern world, as Gregor Samsa transformation into a “monstrous” insect. Gregor’s transformation is in fact a metaphor for his realization, as what he is in the Samsa household. He is in actual fact an insect; he exemplifies the characteristics of an insect, he leaves no fun for himself, “He just sits here at the table, quietly reading the newspaper or poring over timetables.” This illustrates that Gregor does not possess human characteristics, but is in actual fact an insect to the Samsa household. One could argue that Kafka’s “Metamorphosis depicts human conditions, as these days, everything is about work, the focus on one’s inner self and inner person has diminished. The human race is infatuated with greed, money, power and status, but we as humans have forgotten and lost the beauty of one’s inner being and self. People have lost identity, in Gregor’s case, he is just an insect, who’s sole purpose is to provide for his family, and not for one second think about his own well being. Gregor does not have any real hobbies; any form of fun, friends (apart from his sister Grete) and all he can do and think about is work. Thus drawing the parallels of...
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...SURREALISM Appreciation of Art/Craft/Design 2011 Introduction Everybody has concept about Surrealism. But not everybody knows, how and why it has got art movement, when an artist is part of a movement like Surrealism, I ask a question for myself "Did Surrealism enter to our century?", if yes - "How?". In this essay I’ll discuss about social, economic and political influences of the time when movement born, what influenced this movement and what subsequent influence did this movement have on others? Also I discussion about of one artist who made major contribution to Surrealism - Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989) and try discuss about his artwork "Metamorphosis of Narcissus". Social, economic and political influences of time "Surrealism, was officially born in 1924 in Paris and had virtually become a global phenomenon by the time of it demise in the later 1940s" (Hopkins, 2004, p.15). It was difficult time for all world. Two wars: World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945), Europe, as well as the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan, would experience the effects of the Great Depression. "The early 20th century was a period of tumultuous change. The First World War and the Russian Revolution profoundly altered people’s understanding of their worlds. The discoveries of Freud and Einstein, and the technological innovations of the Machine Age, radically transformed human awareness" (Hopkins, 2004, p.20). Art movement - Surrealism There is an opinion...
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...Absurdity in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” This title is in the reference of the novella “The Metamorphosis” (“Die Verwandlung”) by Franz Kafka (first published in 1915). One day Gregor Samsa woke up to find himself turned into a monstrous insect. And thus begins the story of the Samsa family. Wrapped in a very descriptive narration of Gregor Samsa as an insect and his family adjusting to their new lives, Kafka wove a tale that seem absurd and surrealistic in nature but is soberly realistic. It is the tragedy of Gregor Samsa in which everyone else lives happily ever after. The structure of this novella is a very unique than the standard structure of exposition, complication, climax, and unravelling as Kafka...
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...Kafka's Metamorphosis "As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect" (Kafka 1757). This opening is famous not only for its startling content but also for its calm, matter-of-fact style which then sets the tone for the rest of the story. Along with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey and Dante's Inferno, Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" has one of the most-memorized and most attention-catching opening lines. Gregor Samsa feels that he has been treated as a lowly insect and comes to feel that he is one; the story makes the leap from "I feel like an insect" to "I am an insect." Whatever the causes for Gregor feeling this way, these causes have led to his isolation and alienation (the feeling of being a stranger and an alien, even in those places where one should feel at home). Gregor has undergone an ultimate alienation: he is alienated from both his psychological and physical self. Once Gregor's metamorphosis (change) has been accomplished, the story moves inevitably to his death. In many ways, the protagonist (main character) of "The Metamorphosis" and his dilemmas are much like those in "The Death of Ivan Ilyich." Franz Kafka (1883-1924) was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia to a Jewish family of German...
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...Modernism in the Metamorphoses and the depiction of Modern man The modernist movement in literature began around the turn of the century and created a dramatic change in the way that authors viewed their work. The new breed of writers were extremely affected by the new perception of the world and our place as human beings in it. WW2 was on the verge of the beginning, and the literary world was expressing their fears and attitudes toward their impending doom through their writing. Modernism has a few key themes that Franz Kafka follows throughout his piece ‘The Metamorphosis”. One of the most common themes among popular modernist literature are the rejection of literary tradition through experimentation with a darker style writing. Surrealism was common among pieces which often involved the decaying of the human existence that was occurring in the (at the time) current, more face-paced, disconnected society. In this paper, my goal is to show modernism in “Metamorphoses” and highlight the factors which make Gregor, the epitome of modern man. The isolation and despair that Gregor experienced is obvious from the start. From the very first sentence of the story we notice this solitude. Gregor is lying on his bed in a shape of a gigantic insect and there is nobody around to help him. This theme of isolation is even more present in the rest of the story as we see that Gregor can't depend on anyone for support. He locks himself in his room when he is...
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...ANALYSIS OF THEME IN METAMORPHOSIS THEMES ANALYSIS The theme of "The Metamorphosis" is modern man's sense of isolation. Driven to work long hours in meaningless jobs around people who do not care about others, just like Gregor, mankind seems to live a meaningless and ineffectual existence. Although Gregor's metamorphosis is actual and physical, Kafka implies through his change that all too often mankind is forced into an insect-like existence, no better than the bugs at the bottom of the natural order. When mankind tries to rise above their insect status and connect with humanity, as Gregor did when he emerged from his room to see his sister and listen to the violin, they are cruelly driven back into isolation and alienation. Through Gregor, Kafka presents a totally tragic view of man's existence. Kafka also shows that mankind is driven by materialism, often to the exclusion of developing human relationships. Modern life demands that a person have a job to earn money to fulfill materialistic desires. The materialistic mind-set usually enslaves the individual and transforms him into a beast or insect who does not have time to care for others. Gregor is the perfect example. He hates his job as a salesman but endures it in order to provide material things for his family. In order to have and give financial security, he sacrifices a social life, companionship, pleasure, and dreams. His life is miserable, and he counts the days until he can quit his job. Ironically, the people...
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...“The Metamorphosis” was written during the Modernism movement, by Franz Kafka, in 1912. Kafka felt that his creativity was finally taking a definite form in 1912. “The Metamorphosis” would be one of a very few works Kafka would publish in his lifetime. He actually turned down an offer to publish it in 1913; it is thought that he was saving it for a book that he was planning to call Sons. Finally, in 1915 “The Metamorphosis” appeared in print. The novel took Kafka some time to write and would turn out to be the longest work he would ever complete. “The Metamorphosis” is said to be an autobiographical. The novel is about the conditions of his life, mostly his family life, and his family interactions are played out in the novel. Kafka’s stories...
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...Various radical and utopian influences stimulated by new ideas in psychology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, and political theory were influential to various modernist works. Franz Kafka's, “The Metamorphosis”, which was written during the era of Modernism, provides dynamic visuals meant to awaken its readers to the frightening isolation of individuals in the modern, bureaucratic state, as well as providing an autobiographical undertone. Moreover, the work is reportedly one of the few stories that satisfied him enough that he desired that it be published. In order to truly appreciate Kafka's work it is important to understand who he was and what his state of mind and overall disposition was when he wrote “The Metamorphosis”. In many regards his own personal background mirrors the character Gregor in the story. Although Kafka was intelligent, he lacked confidence and assertiveness in his daily interactions with others. It could be speculated that he felt like an outcast being a German-speaking Jew living in Prague. Throughout the story his inadequacy is represented by the theme of isolation. The insect that Gregor has transformed into following some unpleasant dreams could signify his self-concept, but also his desire to convey the target audience's sense of isolation in the modern, bureaucratic state. There are several themes of isolation that occur during the story. Gregor feels isolated from society, and his family following his transformation into an insect. This in...
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...In Mary Shelly’s epistolary Frankenstein and Franz Kafka’s novella “The Metamorphosis,” the authors explore the dangerous impact of society and rejection. Both creatures are rejected and isolated by their families have been defined as monsters. But, the authors force the reader to look past physical appearance to uncover who the real monster is, society; it defines what make us human. Society defines others solely based on what they see, disregarding any humane characteristics they may possess. To fully understand how society impacts the creatures in each story the reader must look at their actions before they were defined as monsters. Frankenstein’s creature wanted affection, love and attention from none other than his own creator and father, Victor. He even wanted a mate, someone to love and care for him; neither of these did he receive from Victor. The creature also possessed the curiosity as that of a small child. In chapter twelve, he describes how he learned language from the family in the woods; this is the same family that society labels as poor. But, this family serves as an example for Frankenstein’s creature; they provide the creature’s education on communication and basic values. The creature thought himself to be no different from others and he wanted nothing more than to be accepted. Similarly, before Gregor Samsa’s transformation in “The Metamorphosis”, he was a hard-working son who wanted to please his family. He worked every day, never calling...
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...Marcus Bryant English 1302 Spring 2012 Kafka’s Dream World In his short story “The Metamorphosis,” Franz Kafka tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a traveling sales clerk whom one day awakens to find himself transformed into a giant insect. His state prevents him immediately from living the type of life he would otherwise have been leading, causing a series of reactions from himself and his family that would eventually lead to his demise. Not only is the this short story a precisely worded, tense modern fairy tale that shows Kafka’s imagination, but it also acts as a vessel of analysis of not only Kafka’s personal life, but how he felt about his life and the times that he lived in. In “The Metamorphosis,” Kafka creates a dreamlike parallel between the world he has created and his own reality, historically and symbolically, and uses this to criticize himself and the world around him. Kafka connects the reality of his life to the fiction of his story to create a sense of reality in the dreamy feel created by the text of “The Metamorphosis.” Dr. Ianc Lulian writes about the many of the commonalities between Kafka and the character Samsa, especially around the time of Kafka’s life in which he wrote this particular story. (424) Kafka worked a job that he considered a waste of time, much like he describes the dead-end sales clerk position Samsa worked, according to Lulian. (424) Kafka works at the sacrifice of himself, much like Samsa, to provide for his family that he even lived...
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...the distribution of capital and goods, influences all aspects of human life in our modern consumerist society. The growing strength of manufacturing and urbanization occurring during Kafka’s life created massive tensions between social classes spawning a multitude of economic and social philosophies which addressed issues caused by the growing industrial might of nations as well as the rapidly growing wealth and poverty apparent in most industrialist cities and was further enforced by the onset of the First World War. The Metamorphosis reflects upon the economic struggle caused by the onset of the industrial revolution and the chaos caused by the onset of the First World War in Europe, between the large number of diverse economic and social philosophies such as the struggle between communism and capitalism which shaped the global struggles in the latter half of the twentieth century. In 1847 Frederick Engels, defined communism in The Principles of Communism as, “the doctrine of the conditions of the liberation of the proletariat” (1), the proletariat’s being the lower working classes which sell their labor to gain capital (Engel 2). The communist ideal calls for the rejection of capitalistic ideals and the adoption of a classless society with no private ownership of resources but rather public ownership of capital resources in order to avoid the evils of capitalism (Engel 13). The Metamorphosis reflects communistic ideals in its depiction of Gregor and the Samsa family, Gregor...
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...Franz Kafka, through “The Metamorphosis”, exhibits the limits of familial loyalty and love which reveals the abhorrent reality: unconditional love in the modern world is fictitious. The contrast between Gregor’s love for his family and theirs toward him clashes. The absence of loyalty in the families bond is what drives them to mistreat and use him. Even in the midst of Gregor’s metamorphosis his parents neglect him and his needs. Mr. Samsa throws apples at Gregor to show the reality of the family’s true feelings towards him. Furthermore, Gregor never has a cross thought of his parents or his sister, instead, mid death he meditates on their good qualities. Gregor loves his family even though they don’t feel the same. After Mr. Samsa loses...
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...Technology has been a boon to mankind and it is a blessing in disguise. It has made the life of humans simple and easy to live. The effects of technology have largely been positive on human life. We have reached this modern era because of technology. The various technologies around us have made this world modern. In this modern life technological innovations have become integral to our lives Technological innovations are the most important aspect of human life and it is impossible to even think of our life without them. Technology is the greatest creation of humans and it has also enabled humans to create whatever they desire. I think that technology is indispensable in our modern life and it is a great positive force in our lives. The creativity in the field of technology has always resulted in remarkable innovations. We would not have reached such heights of development without the help of technology. Technology has influenced people in a positive sense. It has instigated people to create better and better innovations. We can never think of our lives without the basic amenities which technology has provided us with. Without such technology we would still be in the pre-historic age. We should be thankful to technology for our metamorphosis from a cave man to the modern man of present age. This modernism is the result of technology and it has made our life better and better with time. It is best tool that the humans have ever invented for self help. The technological inventions from...
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...The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka portrays an extreme example of existentialism. In this existential allegory, Gregor is forced to give up his normal human life when he suddenly turns into an insect overnight. This transformation shows the reader, if not Gregor, that things in the world will happen inevitably and the only way to enjoy life is to change your perspective of it. Looking at this story as an existential allegory, Gregor is a modern everyman. Before Gregor turned into an insect he was a traveling salesman. He worked very hard to support his family and “[save] up enough money to pay back what [his parents] owe[d]” (Kafka 24) someone. He was stuck in this dark bubble of his own world, work, and money without any sight of a bigger life view. His way of thinking was that he was very important because he provided for his family and “he felt great pride at having been able to give his parents and sister a life like this in such a beautiful apartment” (Kafka 54). However, one morning when “he [finds] himself transformed right there in his bed into some sort of monstrous insect” (Kafka 21) the reader can infer that Gregor’s life is actually really unimportant to others outside of his little world and this radical change symbolizes that he must now change his outlook on life. Gregor never really does change his outlook on life and he ends up dying. He dies the dawn after he finds out that his sister, who had been his caretaker during his time as an insect, admits that she...
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...Emily Dickinson’s poetry ‘This is my letter…’, ‘What myster pervade a well’, ‘I had been hungry all the years’, ‘I gave myself to him…’, Alejandro Innatritu’s film Babel (2006) and Franz Kafka’s novella Metamorphosis (1912) collectively explore ideas of belonging. (ADD ANSWER TO DIRECT QUESTION). They represent how belonging and exclusion from society contributes to shaping one’s sense of self and identity to determine their position in the larger world. The texts highlights how belonging to people and places within both social and cultural contexts, is dependent on the choices we make to feel accepted or remain an outsider, as voluntary social isolation affected deaf-mute protagonist Chieko psychologically and emotionally negatively however it became a catalyst for Dickinson’s creativity. The composers of both texts have represented the concept of belonging to challenge readers to consider if we feel we belong to the larger world today. Dickinson’s poetry elucidates the tension between her estrangement from society and her inherent need to belong, which is instigated by her voluntary social isolation. This paradox gives insight into her spirituality and notions concerning the human condition, highlighted in ‘This is my letter…’ as the first line “This is my letter to the world” serves as a declaration establishing distance between the singular pronoun “my” and the vast expanse of “the world”. It ends as a plea “judge tenderly of me” reflecting the persona’s inability to maintain...
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